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Chattahoochee River Lucky 13K Cochran Shoals Unit Fitness Hike




The Basics:
Event Type:Hike
Event Location: Marietta   Hike: Chattahoochee River Lucky 13K Cochran Shoals Unit Fitness Hike  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Sat, May 2 2015  9:00 am >> Sat, May 2 2015 12:00 pm
Registration Opens: Sat, Apr 25 2015 9:00 am
Registration Cut Off: Sat, May 2 2015 7:00 am
Event Duration:3 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D3: Moderate
Distance:8.5 Miles
Pace:Fast
Trip Leader(s):
Grant Brown
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Member Cost:None

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:20
Minimum Group Size:2
Number Registered So Far: 13 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: Yes

Itinerary:

Hi All!

I thought we could get a nice work out in three beautiful areas over at the Cochran Shoals/Columns Drive/Sope Creek Units of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.  Well, confession, 13 kiometers equal 8.08 miles, but we will actually hike 8.5 miles ; ).  I don't carry water with me [just keep it in the car for after].  We will stop after about a third of the walk at the Columns Drive bathroom for a brief break where there is also a water fountain.  

Let's meet at the main parking lot pay station at the Interstate North Parkway entrance that is on the south side [I-75 side] of the river at the I-285 bridge.  There is a $3 daily use fee required.  We will head out by 9:05.   If you have trouble findig a parking space, there is another parking lot on the north side of the river too [and you get to cross the bridge to get to the other side!].

We will hike out on the main wide trail, and then head away from the river onto less-traveled trails, then up through the kudzu to the hidden pond of Sope Creek!  Okay, maybe it's not so hidden, but lots of folks usualy haven't made it up there before. This is intended to be a brisk paced workout.  We will try to maintain a 3.5 mph pace for about 3 hours.  Though it is flat in places, it is about one third hill.  

I look forward to seeing you all for a fun workout hike!
Thanks,

Grant

P.S.  A lot of people ask me what app I use for hiking.  Sorry, it is an iphone only app I think, but I am sure there is a comparable app for Android.  It's called MotionX GPS.  It is great for tracking with time, distance, speed, autopause.  But, it also uses open street map and open bike map data base, so it actually shows the trails that we hike on in it's maps - even in Cohutta Wilderness.  Another key feature that keeps me from getting lost is that you can download maps ahead of time when you know you will be in a bad area for cell reception.  Watch out, it's about to get geeky here, your phone often loses it's cellular network connectivity, but, when outdoors, it rarely loses its GPS signal.  Cellular signals come from cell towers while GPS signals come from satellites.  Long story longer, these technologies enable you to locate yourself at all times, even in remote wilderness areas.  Feel free to ask me to explain it better sometime.  Last Spring we encounterd two lost GA Tech students in Cohutta.  These guys were thirsty, hungary, and scared.  They'd misread their map and gone off trail on top of that.  They were so relieved to see us and get some food and water, and ask for directions before leaving out the next morning.  Anyway, clck here for the app developer's website.


Required Items to Bring:
  • good walking shoes
  • 1 liter of water 
  • $3 for park use fee per vehicle
Recommended Items to Bring:
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How to Get There:
Event Directions:

Get your driving directions on google:   MAP

The GPS coordiantes are:  33° 54' 6.79" N, 84° 26' 38.04" W

 

Here are trail maps:

Interstate North

Columns Drive

Sope Creek


Notes:
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.


Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.